Bleeding Out
by EnglishPoet18
Summary: This story is slightly AU and takes place between seasons 1 and 2. This is going to be following along from Merle's POV. There will be whole group involvement later in the story. This is a METH story. Thanks for looking! Rated M for language and content. I own nothing from The Walking Dead or any of its affiliates.
1. Chapter 1

****AN: Hey everyone! New story here...It's not much yet but I'm already starting on chapter two and it will be much longer. This is going to be a Meth story so if you don't ship them, then consider this your warning. Turn back now. I'm going ahead and rating this M because of language and well...because it's Merle. LOL! So here's where we are: This is somewhere between season 1 and 2. Merle has already escaped from the rooftop and of course he's had his run in with the Governor. He's decided to branch off on his own and seek out his brother. Beth Greene has yet to meet the group because the Atlanta group hasn't made it to the farm yet. So, it's somewhat following the seasons, but from Merle's POV. Eventually we may have whole group involvement, but for now, it will just be Meth. For those of you who know me, you know I love Merle. He's just so complex that I just enjoy writing him almost as much as Daryl. I'm not sure if there will be any other ships in this story yet or not. I'm going to rely on everyone's feedback if you think you would be interested in reading this. If not, it may just remain some kind of oneshot. But please, if you like it, just leave me a little something to let me know to continue. It's much appreciated. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. Thanks everyone! :)**

**...**

He rammed his blade into the thick skull of the walker and grimaced as thick black blood flowed out of the gaping hole he had left. It smelled rotten and no matter how many times he had smelled it, the shit still got to him. He had killed quite a bit of walkers since leaving the town of Woodbury. He wasn't sure yet what exactly had possessed him to leave his sanctuary. Maybe he was just tired of all of the bullshit and lies. The Governor thought he was playing him for a fool but he didn't know Merle. Merle was nobody's fool.

He had figured on them coming after him but so far he hadn't seen sight of them anywhere. He had traveled a good ways now, headed back closer to Atlanta, thinking he might find his brother somewhere. So far he hadn't run into anyone but walkers. He ate whatever food he could scrounge up from random houses and abandoned cars. He had managed to kill a few things, but he didn't have the proper equipment to hunt with as his resources were severely limited. He had his blade, a crudely made contraption that one of the Governor's men Milton had made for him and he had a handgun, but that was it. There hadn't been time to grab anything else.

He hadn't thought much about leaving until recently. The Governor had started changing and Merle could sense it. He would organize Merle and his men for runs that actually consisted of them going out and killing real people to take all their shit. That didn't sit well with Merle. He might be a dickhead, but he didn't kill people just for the hell of it. People could call him a lot of things and they might be right, but a cold blooded killer he was not.

He hoped to find his brother or maybe even that group from Atlanta they had last been with. They might know where his brother was if he wasn't with them. Merle knew his brother wasn't dead. The thought didn't even cross his mind as an option. Because it wasn't. Daryl was a Dixon and it took a hell of a lot more than a few fucked up walkers to take down a Dixon. His brother was still out there and Merle was going to find him. The Governor had been promising to go with Merle for a while to help him search for his brother but Merle knew he was just blowing smoke up his ass. He wanted to try and pacify him, to keep him around. He may not have had a lot of education but Merle wasn't stupid by any means.

He paused by a tree and wiped at the sweat that had gathered on his forehead. It wasn't so much that he was tired, but the Georgia heat could take a lot out of you if you weren't careful. He took another swig of the water that he kept in his pack. He pulled out a piece of jerky and took a couple of bites before sticking the rest back in the pack. He ate just enough to keep from starving. He could survive off of very little if he had to. Those few years in the army had done him well. Besides keeping him off the streets and out of jail for once, it had shaped him into a man. He didn't regret a minute of it. He was actually pretty sure that that was what kept him alive now, the fact that he had been through much worse than this.

The worst part about being out there alone now was that he didn't have anyone to talk to, no way to pass the time other than walking. Most times, he didn't even know if he was walking in the right direction. He truly had no idea where Daryl could be at. He knew he was in rural country because he seldom passed any houses and the deeper he walked in the woods, the less walkers he saw.

That's why it was a complete shock to him when he suddenly came upon a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. It looked like it was once used for hunting, judging by the size and location of it. It was small, probably no more than the one room, judging by what he could see on the outside. He circled it for a few moments, trying to tell if there were any squatters on the inside. Prior experience had already taught him that the living could sometimes be just as dangerous as the dead. Merle didn't trust anybody, _period_.

He finally approached the doorway cautiously. There was no door and it was so dark inside that he could barely see. He paused just outside and listened, his ears trained to pick up on the slightest of movements. It was all quiet and he reached into his pocket to pull out the lighter that he kept there for emergencies. Flicking it twice, he finally got a flame and he held it up to peer inside, his blade ready.

On first glance, all he saw was an old wooden bed, a sink, and a small table. He had turned to leave when his eyes caught a glimpse of something in the corner of the room. Squinting, he walked into the room further to investigate. He could make out blonde hair, pale skin, and cowboy boots all huddled into one big heap. He nudged the boots with his foot. He was pretty sure it wasn't a walker, but it could just be that the person hadn't turned yet. Either way, he wasn't taking any chances.

The heap whimpered softly and he looked around to the one window in the whole place. It was caked with what looked to be ten layers of dust and grime and he knocked at it a few times with his hand to push it open. A small stream of light filtered through but it was enough for him to see her. He crouched alongside of her and nudged her shoulder with his fingers.

"Hey." He said.

He got another whimper for a response but still no movement. He weighed his options. She appeared to be all alone and she clearly wasn't dead. So what was she doing here? The whimper suggested to him that she might be hurt. As heartless as he was at times, he just couldn't force himself to walk out of that door and leave her. But then again, he barely had enough food to feed himself, much less a whole other person. She didn't appear to have anything on her either. He wondered briefly how this small slip of a girl had made it into this cabin alone and with seemingly no weapons. She would likely be walker bait if he didn't at least try to help her.

He growled. "Come'on sugah, wake up." He coaxed.

There was another whimper, longer this time and she shifted slightly, her hair falling back from her face. He took in her features and saw that she definitely wasn't a _little_ girl. She was young, but she wasn't as young as he would have guessed a few moments ago. She had a flawless face and the blondest hair he had ever seen. Her eyes were closed but her face appeared to be clenched in pain. He grabbed his pack and dug through it for the bottle of water he had, holding it between his legs to take off the top and then he held it up to her lips. He lifted it just enough to moisten them and she let out a little moan. He repeated the action again and was rewarded with the fluttering of eyelids. Her eyes slowly opened and he found himself staring into the greenest eyes he had ever seen.

"Are you God?" She rasped.

"No. I'm Merle."


	2. Chapter 2

****AN: On to the next chapter! I would like to thank those of you who have reviewed so far. I know the first chapter wasn't a lot to go on, but I'm thinking I may get one more out after this one, so I hope you all will forgive the short chapters for now. I hope you enjoy this second installment into our couple and please review if you do! (And even if you don't) Enjoy! :)**

**...**

The girl frowned and then her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Merle assumed she had passed out. Sighing, he reached into his bag for the blanket that he carried around and spread it as best he could over the rickety bed. It looked as if it had seen better days but it still seemed sturdy enough. Bending down, he yanked on her arm hard enough to get her partially up so that he could wrap his hand around her waist. Everything was more difficult when you only had one hand. He half dragged her over to the bed, but he finally managed to get her on top of it. The only positive to having only one hand was that you found a lot of creative ways to do shit.

He straightened her legs out and then wiped her hair from her face. She was dirty but that didn't say much. He was dirty his own self. They didn't exactly have a ready supply of showers in the apocalypse. His eyes coasted over her body for injuries, but he found none save for a few superficial cuts and bruises here and there. He noticed her lips were cracked and dry looking and then he figured she might be suffering from dehydration and something close to heat exhaustion. Reaching for his water bottle, he propped her head up as best as he could on his blade arm and used his hand to coax some more water into her body. She seemed to respond slightly to the water and he was able to get half of a bottle into her before she tried to grab it. The sudden movement caught him off guard and he yanked the bottle out of her reach.

"Easy now darlin', ya drink it too fast, ya gon' bring it right back up," He murmured.

She seemed to settle a little and he managed to get her to drink the rest of it by giving her little sips until it was gone. Her eyes flickered open again and this time they seemed to focus more on her surroundings.

"Who are you?" She asked.

Merle smiled. "Well I ain't God if that's what ya askin'," He replied dryly. "Name's Merle."

"Beth," She responded weakly.

"Ya seem ta be dehydrated darlin'," He commented. "Ya by yerself?"

She lay there for several moments, not saying anything. "I got lost."

Merle frowned. She got lost? What did that mean? "Gonna have ta give me more'an that ta go on."

"My horse...it th-threw me. Ran off," She whispered.

"What tha fuck were ya doin' out by yerself? Ya gotta death wish?" He growled. She recoiled slightly from his biting tone and he reminded himself that he needed to tone it down a bit. She was a young girl after all, and she looked so innocent lying there. One moment she looked older and the next, she barely looked over sixteen. "Ya even got a weapon?" He asked.

She shook her head slowly. "I was just going riding to exercise my horse."

She shifted and he sensed that there was more to this story. He sighed. "What else?"

Her eyes flitted away from his to stare at the doorway to the outside before responding. "I didn't tell anyone where I was going," She finally whispered.

Merle groaned. Clearly the girl had the good sense of a goldfish. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why anyone would leave safety without protection of any kind. He stood up and paced the small wooden floor as he tried to decide what to do with her. Taking her with him was a liability, that much he could tell. But if _she _was lost, then he had no idea how to take her back to where she belonged. He assumed she had to be a little familiar with the area but if she was lost here, then so was he. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to ward off an oncoming headache.

"Do ya know which direction ya came from? Did tha horse throw ya here or have ya been walkin'?" He asked her.

"I...I've been walking. It started to get dark and I didn't want to stay out in the open in the dark. My vision started to blur and I came in here to lie down. I must have went to sleep," She mumbled.

He huffed. "Ya was sufferin' from heat exhaustion is what ya were. Weren't sleep ya was cravin'. Ya body was tryin' ta shut itself down."

"How do you know so much about it?" She asked.

Merle lifted his blue eyes to stare into her vivid green orbs. "Spent a few years in tha army. Seen enough people sufferin' from it in tha desert I reckon'."

She said nothing else as she stared at him. He could see that the sun was beginning to make it's way back down towards the earth. Plenty of daylight left for him to find another place to spend the night if he was by himself. He couldn't very well drag her out of here until she began to get some of her strength back though so they were stuck in this tiny ass cabin for the night. First thing in the morning they would have to hit the road and find some supplies. She needed a weapon. _He_ needed a drink.

She shifted in the small bed and his gaze came to rest on her again. She was a tiny little thing and his curiosity was getting the better of him. He wasn't used to having people around after he had been alone for so many weeks now.

"How old are ya girlie'?" He asked.

She blushed. "I'm eighteen."

Merle raised his eyebrows. She might be telling the truth, but it was hard to tell. She appeared very small and fragile right now but it was hard to tell a lot with her all laid up on the bed. He rummaged in his bag for a can of food for them to share. He pulled out a can of chicken noodle soup. That would have to do for now. He popped the top and passed her the can.

"Here. Drink up. Ya get half," He told her.

She shifted herself into a sitting position and eyed the can speculatively. "Cold soup?" She questioned.

Merle huffed. "We ain't exactly lappin' in luxury here darlin'. Ya want ta eat, this is what ya got. I suggest ya drink it. Do yer body good," At the mention of her body, he felt his gaze wandering over hers again. He quickly shifted his eyes and thrust the can in her direction again. She gently took it and he tried not to notice the way her hands shook as she brought the can to her mouth. He stepped to the doorway to give her some space and to make sure there weren't any walkers lurking about.

A beat up wire cage caught his eye near one of the trees just outside of the cabin. Straightening, he walked over and studied it. It was somewhat bent, but overall it appeared to be intact. Walking back inside the cabin, he ignored her curious gaze and pulled out the beef jerky. Ripping off a piece of it, he walked back outside. He set to work on straightening out the cage to some degree and then located a stick to prop the door open with. He moved the cage several feet away and stood back to survey it. It would come in handy if there were any animals about. One foot inside for the jerky and they would be trapped. He smirked at his own idea. Maybe they could have themselves a decent meal by tomorrow morning.

"Then I'm takin' 'er back ta where she belongs," He muttered to himself.

He cast one last glance around the woods and strode back into the cabin where she handed him his half of the soup. He accepted it and crossed over by the window to finish it off. He tried not to think about the fact that her lips had just been on the can likely where his were now. The soup did little to satisfy his hunger, but he wouldn't starve so that was a plus. He set the empty can on the small table and noticed that she was staring at his blade. He held it up so that she could inspect it closer and her eyes widened.

"What happened to your hand?" She whispered.

Merle smirked. "Cut tha bitch off."

"Why would you do something like that?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes. The last thing he felt like doing was explaining himself to some girl he had come across in the woods about how his life had been. He didn't suppose he had anything better to do at the moment though.

"I was handcuffed to tha roof of a buildin' in Atlanta by a group me an' my brotha was travelin' with. They left me up there ta die so I did what I had ta do." He shrugged.

"Why would they do something like that?"

He pinned her with his intense gaze. "They were scared o' me," He said softly. He crossed over until he was standing at the edge of the bed. "You scared o' me?" He asked.

She was silent and still for several seconds. Then she shook her head. "You don't seem so bad."

Merle snorted. "Ya don't know nothin' kid."

Her eyes narrowed, surprising him with their sudden intensity. "I'm not a kid! And I do know. A bad person would have left me here to die. You didn't," She stated.

Merle couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. So the girl had a little fire in her after all. He could work with that. He could work with that just fine. He leaned over and the last rays of the sun reflected off his blade, casting shadows across the wall. He stopped his face inches from hers, her warm breath just barely blowing against his chin. He pinned her with his gaze.

"Day ain't over yet girlie."


	3. Chapter 3

****AN: Moving right along! Here's chapter 3 for you all. Three updates all in one day! Whew! I believe this is the last one for the night unless I get to feeling frisky, LOL! Anyway, thanks for the few of you who have reviewed so far, it means a lot! If you're just now joining us, please send me a review and let me know you're here! Reviews mean so much to the writer. It's hard to write without an audience ;) That being said, enjoy!**

**...**

Beth knew Merle was trying to scare her but she wasn't scared. She was usually very good at reading people and she had sensed that he wasn't a threat to her at all. She felt a lot better now than she had when he had first come across her. She hadn't known what she was going to do. She had only wanted to exercise her horse Nell but the horse must have gotten spooked by something and she threw Beth. It wasn't the first time that it had ever happened but it was the first time that Nell hadn't come back. Usually Nell would come back for her eventually and Beth could ride her again after she had calmed down a bit. Beth had waited this time and Nell hadn't come back. Finally she had started walking in the direction that she had thought the farm was in. Only her fall must have thrown her off track because she had walked in the wrong direction. The sun had been brutal today and it had taken everything she had to keep going after a while. She wasn't even sure how long she had walked, but it had been so long that it had started getting dark. She had stumbled upon the cabin in the woods and blindly made her way inside. She had curled up in the corner and sleep had overtaken her moments later. Now Merle had found her and she was grateful.

She knew it was dangerous to be out alone. She knew about the sick people, but she had never had any firsthand experience with them. Her Daddy and Otis would always capture them and stick them in the barn. She didn't like to think about them in there and the sounds that they made. It made her sick to her stomach. She wasn't so sure about keeping things like that on their property either but she trusted her Daddy. He was holding out hope that whatever disease they were carrying would eventually have a cure and then they could help all of those people. She knew by now that he and her sister Maggie would be worried sick about her. She wondered if they would be searching the woods for her or if they would think her dead.

She eyed Merle who was sitting on the makeshift porch of the cabin. He had been out there for some time now, just sitting quietly. She supposed he was thinking about whatever it was he thought about. It was grower darker inside the cabin and she suddenly wanted to be outside next to him. He was a fairly large man and the blade that he had in place of his hand was very lethal looking. She didn't know if she was drawn to him because he made her feel safe or if it was some other reason. He was very attractive for an older man. She wasn't sure how old he was, but she would guess in his thirties.

She pushed herself up from the bed on shaky legs and slowly made her way to the doorway. Her legs felt wobbly and she did indeed feel weak. She wondered if he was right about the heat exhaustion but he had seemed to know what he was talking about and she was inclined to believe him. He didn't seem the type to say things just for the sake of saying them. He didn't turn as she studied him from the doorway. His back was to her and she could make out all of the dirt and grime that covered his once white wife beater. He shifted slightly and she watched as his muscles bunched around his shoulders. She shook her head. Jimmy was her boyfriend. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about other men. Except Jimmy had no where close to what Merle had. The kisses that they had stolen behind the house had been short and somewhat awkward. She had _never _felt muscles like that on Jimmy. He was almost skinnier than she was even.

"Come an' sit down fer ya fall down," Merle's gruff voice demanded.

She gasped. She hadn't even made much noise and yet he must have sensed her standing there. She realized that she did indeed need to sit down. She was still hungry and the soup had done nothing to quiet her growling stomach. She eased herself down next to him on shaky legs and his hand shot out to steady her as she wobbled slightly. His touch was warm and firm against her skin. She could feel the roughness of his hand on her arm, something that told her he used it alot.

"Thanks," She said as she finally got herself situated. She wasn't used to feeling so tired. She would be glad when her strength came back.

He shrugged. "Ain't no big deal."

She leaned her head against one of the posts on the small porch and stared into the woods. She watched as several fireflies danced in the distance, like little twinkling stars amongst the trees. It almost felt like she was at home sitting on her parents big wrap around porch. She loved that porch. She had spent many days curled up on the swing there, reading. She could feel her eyes starting to drift shut.

"Best get inside an' get ya some sleep. Gotta get movin' tomorrow, see if'n we can't find ya house. Ya got a family?" He asked.

She yawned. "There's my Daddy and my sister Maggie. Then there's Otis, Patricia, and Jimmy," She replied.

He grunted. "Who's Otis, Patricia, and Jimmy?"

She smiled, remembering her friends and family. "Otis is my Daddy's foreman on the farm and Patricia is his wife. Jimmy is my boyfriend," At the mention of Jimmy, she blushed.

"Boyfriend, eh?" He chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Nothin'. Get some sleep," His tone came out more harsh now.

She pulled herself up by holding onto the post and paused at the doorway. "Are you coming too?"

He glanced back at her, eyes as hard as steel. "Scared?"

She was, but she really didn't want to tell him that. She lifted her chin slightly. "I just don't want to be by myself right now," She said instead.

Something flickered in his eyes. "I ain't goin' nowhere. Go on," He said.

She turned without another word and walked into the dark cabin. She felt her way around and finally located the bed. She crawled on top of the blanket and curled up, staring at the doorway where she knew he was sitting. She really hoped that he wouldn't leave her. She didn't relish spending another night alone in the woods, especially in this dark cabin. She shivered, but not from the cold. Wrapping her arms around herself, she finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

...

When Merle woke up the next morning on the floor of the cabin, the first thing he realized was that he wasn't as young as he thought he was. As he rolled over to sit up, his back protested the movement loudly. He winced and rubbed at his lower back with his hand. It had taken him quite some time to become adjusted to sleeping with the blade on, but he had finally learned how to keep himself still enough that he wouldn't roll on it in the night, causing himself bodily harm. He had gotten soft, sleeping on the real beds that they had in Woodbury. Even though he had been on his own for weeks now, his body was still trying to adjust to the change in sleeping quarters.

He glanced over at the girl sleeping on the wooden bed. She was curled into the fetal position and he could hear her breathing softly. He stood up and stretched, feeling his back pop softly. His stomach grumbled and he reached into the bag for his water and took a long gulp. He sat the remainder down by the bed for Beth to have when she woke up and walked outside of the cabin. Immediately his eyes darted over to his trap and he smiled as he saw the rabbit sitting inside the cage. His stomach grumbled again, more loudly this time at the prospect of a good meal. He gathered up enough wood to stack just outside of the cabin so that he could build a fire. Once he got that going, he crossed over to the cage and stared down at the rabbit. Gritting his teeth he speared it, killing it instantly. He opened the door and pulled it out, hanging it upside down to drain it of the remaining blood.

He heard retching behind him and turned to see Beth's blonde hair flying as she disappeared around the side of the cabin to throw up. He chuckled. The girl better get used to it or she wasn't going to survive out in the wilderness until he was able to locate her farm. He finished draining the rabbit and had it skinned and cooking over the fire by the time she returned. She still looked a little pale, but she seemed to be moving around a lot better than she had the previous day.

"Ya alright there?" He asked.

She stopped at the edge of the porch, staring at the fire. "Sorry. It just took me off guard to see an animal killed like that," She said.

"Ya better toughen up if'n ya gonna survive out here girl. It weren't useless killin'. I killed it so we can eat. Ya wanna eat, don'tcha?" He asked.

She swallowed and then nodded. She slowly walked down off of the porch and sat down on a stump near the fire. "Do you think you can help me find my farm? My family?" She asked.

He watched the rabbit sizzle over the fire for several moments. At the mention of her family, he thought about how she had said she had a boyfriend _Junior_, or some shit like that. For some reason the thought of her having a boyfriend didn't appeal to him at all, though he dared to wonder why it should even matter to him in the first place. She had said she was eighteen and that was way too young for his liking. He was ignoring the fact that he couldn't seem to stop staring at her this morning. She had obviously used some of the water from the bottle to clean her face off of some of the dirt that had covered it yesterday. She looked different now compared to yesterday.

He turned his attention away from her to check on the rabbit. "What'cha know 'bout killin' walkers?" He asked her.

She looked at him curiously. "Walkers?"

He sighed. "Ya know, tha dead? Ya have seen 'em, haven't ya?" He asked sarcastically.

"Of course I've seen them! I've just never called them walkers," She replied.

"Well what'cha call 'em?"

She thought a minute. "We usually just refer to them as _the sick._"

Merle snorted. "Yeah, they sick alright. Sick bastards," He mumbled. He reached over and rotated the rabbit with his blade that he had cleaned off. She watched him silently and he wondered if she was going to throw up again. "So ya know how ta kill 'em or what?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I've never killed anything."

Merle supposed he was going to have to give her some pointers before they set out. Except he didn't have a weapon to give her besides his gun and _no one_ was allowed to touch his gun. Besides if she hadn't ever killed anything, he knew that chances were she didn't know how to use a gun. There would be no time to teach her t use something that would only alert walkers everywhere to their location. He figured it was only a matter of time before the ones in the city branched out to the countryside.

He used his blade to spear the rabbit and pull it off of the fire. He let it sit for a few minutes to cool off before he broke off a sizable chunk with his fingers. He held it out to her, but she quickly shook her head. Narrowing his eyes, he gestured for her to take it. She still refused.

He stood up and crossed over to where she sat on her stump. "Don't be shy. Ya need ta eat. Open yer mouth an' try a bite," He ordered.

She hesitated and then slowly opened her mouth. He stuck the piece of meat in her mouth, his fingers brushing against her lips as she took it between her teeth. He watched as she chewed it tentatively at first and then more vigorously as she got a taste of it.

He smirked. "Ya like that, huh?"

She blushed and then shrugged. "I must be hungry but it's not so bad."

She looked up at him and he winked. "Stick with me darlin'. I can show ya lots a things that ain't so bad." As soon as he said it, he realized how it sounded then he shrugged. He was a brash person; she would just have to deal with it. He wasn't about changing for anybody in this world, least of all some green-eyed farmer's daughter, no matter how good she looked.


	4. Chapter 4

****AN: Wow! Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement! I'm really liking this story so far and I'm excited for things to come. Your reviews are much appreciated and inspire me to want to get these chapters out faster! I really hope you all like this next installment in our story! Thanks again! :)**

**...**

After they ate their fill of the rabbit and Merle wrapped up the rest, they gathered their things together to set out in search of her people. Merle attached the cage to his pack, figuring it would come in handy later when they found a place to settle. There was nothing for Beth to take since she had arrived empty-handed and he wouldn't let her take the pack. He still didn't trust that she was steady on her feet, even though her color had improved considerably and she appeared to be in a better mood.

"Ya stay near me at all times, got it?" He asked her.

She nodded and gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir!" She teased.

He let his eyes trail down her body and when she caught his gaze she blushed bright red. He smirked and then they set off through the woods. He wanted to see about finding them a house or something to stay in for their next night because he didn't figure on finding her place the first day. The wooden floor of the cabin had wreaked havoc on his back, but he kept quiet about it. He much preferred the dirt anyday to that hard floor. At least the dirt had a little give to it if you could find a soft patch.

"It's nice out today," She commented as they walked. She was a few steps behind him and he stopped suddenly, turning to her. She paused. "What's wrong?"

His eyes surveyed the woods slowly, his expression intense. She inadvertently shuffled closer to him, resisting the urge to grab onto his arm. After a few minutes, he shook his head. "Thought I heard somethin'," He said. His eyes stayed on the woods a moment longer and then he turned again, reaching his hand out to push her in front of him. He had that uneasy feeling of being watched and he didn't like it. He had spent a lot of time trusting his gut instinct and usually it was right. He directed her behind some thick brush. Her eyes were wide but she stayed quiet.

"Keep down," He whispered.

She nodded in silent affirmation. He reached into the waist of his pants and grabbed his gun that he kept tucked in there. They waited there for maybe fifteen minutes before he finally saw someone. Two men were making their way through the woods and he squinted as he tried to make out who they were. They didn't seem to know that he and the girl were there, so he played it cool until given a reason not to. As they drew closer, he could make out their features. One looked to be no older than sixteen while the other was probably closer to thirty. They both appeared to be Hispanic and they weren't anyone that he recognized from Woodbury. One of them carried an axe and the other had a knife clipped to his belt. He wasn't sure what they were doing out in the woods, unless they were just passing through to somewhere else.

He felt Beth pressing against him from the side trying to get a look at the two men. He held a finger to his lips. "Ya know them two men?" He whispered.

She studied them as they passed on by for a few minutes and then shook her head. "Never seen them," She whispered back.

He sighed. For now, the threat was gone if there even was one in the first place. He didn't relish trying to fend off two men to protect this girl. It wasn't that he doubted his ability to do it. He had done much worse things with the Governor that he wasn't proud of, but he didn't want to take any chances with her safety.

He became acutely aware of how close she was to him still and he turned his head slightly to peer down at the top of her head. Her hand was on his thigh. A couple of more inches and she would get herself more than she could handle. He felt her stiffen suddenly, as if she was just realizing how close they were. She looked up at him and their eyes met. He tried to look away but he couldn't seem to drag his gaze from her face. She hesitantly reached out her hand and touched his jaw and he growled before pulling away.

"It'd be best if ya don't do that darlin'," He said roughly.

She blushed. "I'm sorry. I...I just..I'm sorry," She repeated.

He clenched his jaw and nodded briefly. The girl had no idea how close he was to losing it. Just having her around was starting to affect areas of his body that he was trying hard to keep from showing. He wasn't the type of man she needed. She was innocent and he was more of a one night stand type. She wasn't that type of girl at all. He needed to keep his head and she needed to remember she had a guy, _Johnny _or something that she was dating.

"Come on, we gonna veer off this way a bit so that we don't cross paths," He gestured.

She stood up and they began working their way through the forest again. Time passed by slowly and he only allowed them two stops for water before they kept going again. Finally they skirted the edge of the trees and found themselves next to a road. He scanned the area, spotting two houses that appeared to be slightly run down. They were spaced about a mile apart from each other. They would have to make do with one of those because from the looks of things, this was likely to be the best that they could find. They made their way across the road and he circled one of the houses before motioning for her to stay outside on the porch so that he could do a quick sweep of the inside.

The house was one of those old farmhouse types with peeling paint and a long porch. The inside was basic, consisting of three bedrooms, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and laundry. Not wanting to leave her for long, he made his sweep as quick as possible and finding nothing, he went back outside for her.

Only when he stepped out onto the porch, she wasn't there. Frowning, he looked around before spotting her over by some bushes off to the side. She smiled and waved to get his attention. He walked to the edge of the porch railing and stared at her.

"Thought I told ya ta stay put?" He asked.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I sp-," Her sentence was cut off with a gasp as a hand shot through the bushes and grabbed her arm.

"Fuck!" Merle yelled.

He jumped the railing and slid a little as he tried to regain his footing. She was struggling to get out of the walker's grip and the only thing that was saving her at the moment was the fact that the walker was on the other side of the bush, not being smart enough to go around. He walked up behind the walker and rammed his blade through the neck and up into the brain. It made a sickening crunch sound and then bits of flesh fell to the ground as he pulled the blade out. The walker fell to a heap next to the bushes. He crossed to the other side of the bushes intending to give her, hell but she caught him off guard by throwing her arms around his waist and holding onto him tightly. He could feel her trembling against him.

He didn't know how to soothe her. He had never been one to coddle or comfort anyone but yet she was seeking comfort from him now. He wanted to shake her for being so foolish but he knew that she didn't know any better. It was obvious to him now that she had absolutely limited to no experience with walkers based on how she had handled the one.

So he did the only thing he knew to do. He stood there and let her hug him but he made no effort to hug her back. She would have to learn to grow up a little if she was going to be traveling with him until they found her people.

Finally she pulled away and looked down at her shoes. "Sorry. I won't do it again," She said.

Merle growled. "Damn right, ya won't! Ya realize how close ya coulda been to gettin' bit? Ya need ta learn ta take care of yerself darlin'. They's lots o' things in this world that's dangerous," He said.

She nodded. "I know. Daddy never let me do anything though. My sister, Maggie, was taught by Daddy and Otis, but Daddy didn't want me shooting guns."

Merle huffed. "Well forgive me darlin', but yer Daddy don't seem like tha smartest apple in tha tree."

She didn't reply and instead gestured at the bushes. "Blueberries," She said.

Merle turned and inspected the bushes with mild interest. They were overflowing with blueberries. It wasn't his most favorite thing in the world to eat, but it _would_ help with the hunger pains.

"Why don'tcha pick us off some of 'em?" He asked gruffly.

He stood there until she had two large handfuls and then he led her into the house. They made their way to the kitchen so that she could find a bowl and he could see what kind of food they were looking at. He opened up the first set of cabinets to find them empty and the rest of the cabinets produced the same results. He supposed that blueberries for dinner would have to work for now. She opened a little door next to the fridge and peered inside.

"There's food in here," She said. "There's a dozen or so cans and even some bottled water."

He glanced into the little room and found that she was indeed right. She began grabbing the food out of the pantry and stacking it onto the counter. When she was done she walked over to the sink and curiously tested the faucet. To his surprise, a steady stream of water came pouring out. She gave a delighted laugh. "We can shower!" She exclaimed.

At the image of her showering, her body naked and glistening, he groaned silently. "Fuckin' terrific," He muttered.

She stopped what she was doing then and stared at him. "Why are you so negative? You should really learn to appreciate the small things in life," She said more sharply than he had ever heard her speak since she had told him she wasn't a _girl_.

He leaned against one of the counters and regarded her with a smirk. "Life ain't sunshine an' rainbows girlie'. Ya don't like my attitude, yer free ta go at anytime."

"You're a jerk," She said hotly. He smiled. He couldn't believe how much the girl was turning him on by standing up to him the way she was. He _had_ to get his shit together.

"Well now sweetheart, this _jerk_ was tha one who saved ya life out there, remember?" He asked sarcastically.

She glared at him. "You know, I was actually starting to like you until now! I thought you might be a decent human being. I guess I was mistaken," She snapped. She brushed past him without another word and left the room.

He stood there silently, trying to figure out how the little wisp of a girl had just told him off. Minutes later, he heard the sounds of water running in the bathroom and knew she had gone to shower. His mood had gone sour and he went around the inside of the house, locking down everything for the night. It seemed like it was going to be a long night.

"This is why I ain't never had no relationship. Damn women have too many fuckin' mood swings," He muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

****AN: I've dipped into Beth's POV here at the beginning. I figured it was time to get into her head a little and see what was going on. I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I truly appreciate them all no matter how small. They really do keep me motivated. I know this is at a slow pace right now, but I promise it will pick up soon. I don't think it's very believable for the two of them to jump right into things. Hang with me though, I'll get you there! Enjoy! ;)**

**...**

Beth mumbled under her breath to herself as she showered. She couldn't believe that man. One minute he actually seemed human and the next he acted like a big jerk. She couldn't quite figure him out yet. The only thing she _could_ tell was that he was a very private man. He didn't volunteer much information about his life and he wasn't very good at conversation. She shivered slightly under the cold water, trying to hurry and wash off the dirt that covered her so that she could get out.

This whole thing was stupid. If her horse Nelly hadn't gotten skittish then she wouldn't even be in this mess. She had ridden Nelly countless times and she rarely threw Beth off but ever since the apocalypse started Nelly had been more nervous than usual. All she had wanted to do was ride her horse and pretend that for once everything was back to normal again. She sighed as she reached down to turn off the water. She stepped out and grabbed a towel that looked relatively clean and began drying herself off.

She missed her family. She hoped that they were alright. She knew her Daddy was living in denial about these _walkers_, as Merle called them, but he seemed convinced that if they just held off a little longer then someone would find a cure. She wasn't so sure. This whole thing was bigger than anyone had ever anticipated. She wasn't even sure if there was anyone alive that had the skills to figure out a cure for this. Or maybe there was no cure. That was a frightening thought. She didn't know if she wanted to live this way for the rest of her life.

She glanced at her dirty clothes and grudgingly slipped them on. Maybe later she could find something in the house that would fit her. She really didn't want to put back on the dirty clothes but she didn't have any other options at the moment. She wished that her Daddy had taught her how to shoot like he had Maggie. Her Daddy always tried to keep her so sheltered and she feared it was going to cost her her life one day.

She looked at her reflection in the tiny bathroom mirror and frowned. Combing her fingers through her hair, she tried to tame the wet curls as best as she could before she just decided it was as good as it was going to get under the circumstances. She exited the bathroom and despite her best judgment went in search of Merle. Part of her was terrified that he might have left her there while she was in the shower. She wouldn't have blamed him. It's not like she was really useful to him at all.

She finally found him in the living room. She paused at the doorway and stared at him. He was leaning against the wall by the window, sharpening a knife with what appeared to be a rock. His eyes lifted and he stared at her for several minutes until she shifted nervously. He had a way with his eyes that made it seem like he was staring right through you with their intensity. It was a little unsettling to say the least. She stepped into the room and his eyes flitted back down to the knife in his hand. He didn't say anything so she crossed over to sit down on one of the chairs.

"Get up," He demanded as soon as she sat.

"What?" She asked, not sure that she heard him correctly.

He scowled. "Ya heard me. Get up. Ya gonna learn how ta take care of yerself."

She glanced at him but he was still looking down at his knife so she stood awkwardly. Finally he set down the rock and held the knife out to her, the blade turned away to protect her skin. She turned it over and over in her hands, getting used to the feel. It was very simple with a plain wooden handle and it didn't feel too heavy in her hands either. She had never owned a knife before.

"It's sharp, so be careful with it. Ya aim that at someone, ya better mean it," He said firmly.

She nodded. "Okay."

He crossed over in front of her and grabbed the hand that she held the knife with. His hand was warm on hers and she tried to remain focused on what he was doing. He wrapped her hand around the knife a different way before he stepped back.

"There. Make sure ya grip is tight. Ya wanna aim fer tha head. Only way ta kill the sum' bitch," He said. She flushed at his colorful language. "Problem?" He asked.

"I'm just not used to hearing people talk like you do," She said.

He stared at her in disbelief for a moment then smirked. "Better get used ta it. I don't censor myself fer nobody. Would do ya good ta learn some of 'em words."

"I don't think I-," She began until he cut her off.

"What? Ya too _good_ ta talk like that? Is that what it is? Or ya jus' too _young_ and _inexperienced_?" He taunted.

She felt herself getting angry. It wasn't something she was accustomed to necessarily. Obviously she had been angry before in her lifetime, but there was something about him that seemed to get under her skin in a way no one else ever had. She stood there glaring at him and he walked up to her until they were standing chest to chest. She tried to ignore his close proximity until he reached out with his hand and pushed her back lightly. Gasping, she stumbled backwards a few steps and she stared at him in shock.

He smiled. "What'cha gon do about it darlin'? Gonna call fer yer _Daddy_?" He continued to taunt.

She was breathing heavily. "You leave my Daddy out of this!" She yelled. He kept coming forward and he pushed her back again. This time she was prepared for it but she still fell back one step.

"Ain't nobody here but you an' me. What'cha gon' do if I decide ta have my way with ya right here on this here floor?"

She swallowed and narrowed her eyes. How dare he talk to her like that. Letting out a growl of frustration, she ran at him and slammed her whole body into him, knocking him back a step. She raised the knife in her hand and swung at him. His hand reached out and caught her wrist before she could make contact. It was only then that she realized he was grinning. She had tried to stab him. Her face must have portrayed her horror because he let go of her wrist.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "Needed ta see if ya got tha fire. It's there. Jus' needs ta be stoked a little ta bring it to tha surface," He nodded carefully, his expression thoughtful.

She dropped the knife on the floor. "I was trying to _stab_ you," She muttered.

"Ya wouldn't have. Ya ain't that good…_yet_," He replied.

She crossed over to the chair and sat down with a heavy sigh. She couldn't believe she had tried to stab him. What kind of person did something like that? She heard the floor creak as he walked over and then he kneeled in front of her.

"Look at me," He demanded. She slowly lifted her eyes to look at him. He pressed the knife back into her hands. She hadn't even heard him pick it up. "Ya need ta toughen' up. Life ain't what it used ta be. There's bad people in this world an' they won't hesitate ta do bad thangs to ya," He said.

She wasn't entirely stupid. She knew there were bad people out there. There had always been bad people. "Are you bad?" She whispered.

"I done my share o' bad thangs, but I ain't never forced myself on an unwillin' woman. Ain't my cup o' tea. I like 'em warm an' willin'," He replied.

She reached out and touched his hand with hers. He flinched slightly and glanced down but didn't pull away. "I don't think you're a bad man Merle."

"Yeah well I ain't no Saint neither," He stood up, her hand falling back to her lap. "I can teach ya how ta kill an' how ta survive, but that's tha only thang I can teach ya. An' if yer Daddy won't do it, then so be it. But ya gonna learn 'fore I take ya back," He said.

She nodded thoughtfully. She _would_ like to learn how to do a lot of the things that Maggie already knew how to do. They couldn't expect her to be sheltered for the rest of her life. What if something happened to her family? She would be on her own without a single clue as to how to survive. No, she didn't want to be that girl. She wanted to learn. She had made her decision and it felt good. When she finally went back to her family, they would just have to accept it. Her Daddy would have to understand that she wasn't his little girl anymore. She was a woman, and she deserved the chance to act like one. It was time for her to grow up.

….

Merle watched the girl hold the knife in her hands thoughtfully. He knew she was thinking about what he had said. He was pleased that she had responded the way she had. He had seen the fire come into her eyes when he had goaded her so he kept doing it. He saw the moment she finally snapped and then she had performed exactly the way he had been looking for. She just needed to get out from under her family and she would do just fine. He could see now exactly how sheltered she had been. Her family might have meant well, but they hadn't done her any favors. If anything, they had only made things harder for her. _And him._ Somewhere along the way, he had taken her as his responsibility. He didn't know how the hell it had happened, but it had. For some reason, he knew he wouldn't be able to just drop her off with her family and leave knowing that she was defenseless.

He watched as she opened and closed the knife, getting a feel for it. He glanced down at his own blade. His stump was hurting him today. Every time it hurt, he thought about that prick cop and how he had handcuffed him to that roof in Atlanta, forcing him to cut off his own hand. He wondered if his brother had gone back to look for him. Knowing his brother the way he did, he knew that he had. Probably had beaten the shit out of that sheriff prick too. Merle chuckled. He would have loved to have seen that.

Beth glanced up at him curiously as he chuckled. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten. He nodded his head toward the kitchen. "What'cha say we go an' see what we can scrounge up fer dinner?" He asked.

She nodded softly and stood up to follow him into the kitchen. She was a lot quieter now and he knew she just needed time to adjust. They always did. The Governor had had him teach several younger men at Woodbury to fight. Some of them caught on easily and some of them needed persuading. Then there were the assholes who came at him _already_ thinking they knew how to fight. He had enjoyed knocking them on their ass a time or two.

He surveyed the spread of cans before them. None of them appeared too appetizing. They had an assortment of beans, soup, and vegetables. A couple of cans of fruit were mixed in there but that was it. The end of the world didn't leave you with many options for dinner. He needed to remember to set up his trap after they ate. He had already figured that as long as nothing happened, they might stay here another night. He would wake her early, make her train until she couldn't go anymore. She needed to be pushed.

He watched her now as she selected a can of beans and some corn. "This okay?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I'm easy ta please," He replied with a wink. There was that slight blush again. She would have to get used to his brashness. He might even stick around for a couple of hours when they found her family, just to see her Daddy's reaction to his changed daughter. He leaned on the large counter and watched her as she moved around the kitchen, searching for a can opener and plates.

He had already checked the electricity, hoping that they might get lucky. It wasn't on and he figured the water that she had been so delighted to have might not last long either. He had managed to locate two flashlights in his search while she showered and the batteries seemed to be fairly decent. They would have to make do with that when it got dark.

He focused back on her as she divided up the food between two plates and placed one of them in front of him. He noticed that her hair had dried and a couple of curls were sticking to the side of her face from the heat. He thought she looked older with her hair down, but he kept that to himself. He didn't need her getting any ideas. He picked up his fork and shoveled some of the food into his mouth, barely tasting it. He had come to the conclusion long ago that taste didn't matter as long as it killed the hunger pains. he watched her lift herself onto the counter to sit and they ate in silence, trying to quell their hunger.

"How old are you Merle?" She asked after a few minutes.

He grunted as he shoveled in another tasteless mouthful of food. "Old 'nough," He said. She didn't respond for several minutes as they continued to eat but he could sense she wanted to say something else. Finally he finished off his last bite and pushed his plate away. "What is it?"

She set down her empty plate next to his. "What?"

"Somethin's on yer mind. Spit it out," He replied. He wasn't sure what possessed him to ask. It's not like he had ever cared what anyone was thinking before. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was about her that compelled him to want to protect her. Maybe it was because she seemed to trust him so completely. No one had ever trusted Merle Dixon on anything before.

"I just…I want to thank you for helping me back at that cabin first of all. You could have just walked away, but you didn't. Thanks for helping me learn to defend myself too. I'm not used to people thinking I'm capable of more than just being a pretty face or doing household chores."

Jesus, the girl cut him straight to the gut with her words. He sucked in a breath, uncomfortable with the turn this conversation was taking. Maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut. She obviously had illusions about the type of person that he was. He stared down at the counter he was leaning against and then stood up straight. He turned to leave and then paused by the door.

"Don't thank me yet," He replied.

...

_**I would love to hear your thoughts! :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

****AN: Hi! Sorry I've been absent a few days from this fic but I've been trying to get back on track with them all. I've only got about ten going at once, LOL! Anyway, this chapter is more of a filler than anything extremely exciting but I feel that it's something we have to work through to get to the good stuff eventually. It's a slow, realistic, burn remember? We're still laying some of the groundwork for the story but we will be getting into the thick of things soon enough, so stay with me! I would like to thank everyone for their comments and I appreciate them all very much! Enjoy!**

**...**

It was hard to get comfortable that night. They both stayed in the living room of the house and at Merle's insistence she had taken the couch. She had watched him make himself a pallet on the floor and now he was standing at the window, staring out into the night. She could barely make out his features in the pale light of the moon. She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she started thinking about her family and wondering how they were.

"Go ta sleep. Got lots ta do tomorrow," Merle's voice rang out suddenly.

"How do you know that I'm awake?" She asked.

He smirked softly. "Can hear ya thinkin' all tha way over 'ere," He said.

She huffed, "Well I can't get comfortable. This couch is lumpy. Can I sleep on the floor with you?" She asked.

Merle's gaze swung from the window directly to her. Even though it was dark and he couldn't possibly see her, it felt like he was looking directly at her. His face was carefully blank.

"Ya best be stickin' ta tha couch," He replied.

"Please? I'll be good. I won't hog the covers. I don't want to have a nightmare," She whispered.

He snorted, "What kinds o' nightmares? Wearin' tha wrong shoes with tha wrong dress?" He chuckled softly.

She wished that he wasn't so sarcastic about everything all the time. It made it hard to have a serious conversation with him.

"No. About my mother. We had to put her down...," She replied.

Merle grunted, "Get yer shit an' move it down there. No funny business though."

She smiled softly at him in the darkness. "Thank you. Are you coming?"

He turned back to the window, "Eventually," He muttered.

She grabbed all of her blankets and moved them down to the floor next to his. She spread them out and placed her pillow beside his. She snuggled under the covers with a sigh. A few minutes later she heard his barely audible movements and felt him walk around to the other side of the pallet. She heard him remove his boots and then she heard the sound of his zipper and she swallowed as she heard his pants drop to the floor.

A few seconds later she felt the shift of the blankets as he settled down next to her. She lay as still as possible, trying to control her pounding heart and her breathing. He didn't move a muscle and she lay still for so long that eventually she drifted off to sleep.

...

Beth woke up and found herself twined with Merle. He had his hands behind his head and he was snoring softly. She had one leg thrown over his lower half and she could feel the effects of his morning erection pressing into her leg. One of her arms was thrown across his chest and she blushed in embarrassment. She eased her arm away from him achingly slowly and then she lifted her leg.

One of his eyes cracked open, "Thought I said no funny business," He remarked gruffly.

She felt her face flame, "I...I didn't mean, I mean..." She trailed off.

He smirked down at her, "If I was any otha type o' man, ya might jus' be gettin' more than ya bargained for," He commented.

She slowly withdrew her leg. "Like what?" She asked curiously.

His eyes darkened, "Ya don't know what ya messin' with girl."

Her eyes flicked to his lips and she had the fleeting thought of what it would be like to kiss him. He seemed so sure of himself and he was buff, _really _buff. She couldn't help but feel slightly attracted to him. For an older man, he obviously took good care of himself.

He seemed to read her thoughts, "No," He growled. He moved his hands from behind his head and she sat up on her knees facing him. His eyes narrowed.

"You don't even know what I'm thinking," She protested.

"Yeah I do. An' there ain't gon' be nothin' between us so quit thinkin' it," He pushed back the covers and stalked over to his clothes. Her eyes widened at the sight of his erection pushing against his boxer shorts. She averted her eyes down to the blankets. She felt kind of stupid for thinking that he might find her the least bit attractive. She was obviously just a kid to him and now everything would be awkward between them.

He zipped up his pants and began shoving his feet into his boots. "Ya best be gettin' dressed. Got lots ta do today. Plenty o' trainin' left before I we head out again ta take ya back," He said.

She nodded softly, not looking at him. He crossed around the pallet and she heard him kneel next to her. He lifted her chin with his finger and forced her to meet his gaze. "I ain't tha kinda man ya need, darlin'. It ain't that ya ain't attractive cause ya are, but I ain't tha one for ya," He said.

She searched his eyes for a hint of sarcasm but surprisingly found none. He was actually being serious with her for a moment. She grabbed his shirt and pressed her lips to his cheek. She pulled them back just as quickly as she had pressed them there. "I understand," She said.

He cleared his throat and pulled away. "Meet me outside in ten. Gonna do some practicin'," He muttered before walking away.

...

Merle Dixon wasn't a smoker but right at that moment he wanted a cigarette badly. His brother had always been the one to smoke. Daryl was a chain smoker but Merle had never been able to stand the stuff. He had smoked before but it just wasn't his cup of tea. He was willing to overlook that fact at the moment though. He could really use the nicotine to calm his nerves.

The girl had gotten bold with him. He knew he should have never let her sleep on that floor with him but her story about her mother had done something to him. He could sympathize with her about it. He and Daryl had lost their own in a house fire. She hadn't been much of a mother, but she had been more than their old man had. The sound of her voice so worried about them damn nightmares had made him feel sorry for her despite his best intentions.

He was paying for it this morning though. He was hard as a fucking rock because of her. She moved a lot in her sleep and somehow she had ended up sprawled all over him. He had been able to feel her perky breasts pressing into his side and the heat between her legs had almost been his undoing. One of them was going to be sleeping on that couch tonight because he wasn't going to be able to survive another night of that. It was hard enough just trying to be around the girl and not think about taking her mouth with his or running his hands over her body. He _was _a man after all and he had needs. Right now he wished he had somewhere private so that he could take care of those needs but he couldn't leave in case she came out before he got back. He would just have to suffer through it.

Then she had pressed her soft little lips to his cheek and he had had to clench his fists together just to keep from fisting them into her hair and bringing her lips to his. He wanted to taste her so bad that he was almost shaking. He cursed himself for his lack of control. He was slipping there and he couldn't afford to. He had trained his body not to respond to such things. Of course, it had been easier to ignore it at Woodbury because there was a steady supply of women who had been more than willing to accompany him to his room if need be.

"I'm ready," Her voice called from behind him.

He turned from his position at the railing and looked at her. She was dressed in a different shirt than she had had on yesterday and he figured she must have gone through some of the clothes in the house. The blue tank she was wearing fit her snugly and pushed her curvy breasts up slightly. He groaned inwardly.

"Let's get this shit started," He griped as he walked off of the porch.

It was going to be a hell of a long day.

...

By the time Merle called it quits, Beth thought she was going to fall out from exhaustion. He had taken her through a series of drills. He had shown her several different ways to use her knife, a gun, and her hands. She had blushed a lot as he had directed her on where to place them to make the most of an attack. He made her take her gun apart and put it back together until she completed the whole task without stopping to think about what went where.

She felt like she had been through some kind of horrible boot camp and she wanted nothing more than to lay down on the blankets and pass out. She was terribly hungry but she just didn't have the energy to go searching for food. So when Merle finally seemed to be satisfied, she had shuffled inside and sat down in the chair in the living room. She hadn't moved since.

He had finally come inside some time later and now she could hear him moving around in the kitchen but she didn't know what he was doing. It was only when he thrust a bowl of something in front of her and the smell assaulted her nose that she looked up. She accepted the bowl from him.

"What is it?" She asked. She could see there was a little steam wafting from it and her stomach rumbled in anticipation of hot food.

"Jus' eat it an' don't ask questions," He replied. He left the room and returned several moments later with his own bowl.

She hesitantly brought the spoon to her mouth and nibbled at the stew. It had vegetables in it and there was some type of meat too. She moaned as she chewed through the meat. It tasted so good that she found herself ignoring everything else but her food and she ate it all in record time. She set her bowl to the side with a satisfied sigh.

"Good?" Merle asked.

She nodded, "You going to tell me what it was now?"

Merle studied her for several minutes, "Squirrel," He replied.

Beth's stomach churned slightly, "Squirrel?" She squeaked.

He nodded, "Figured it best ta wait til' ya ate it 'fore I told ya what it was. Most people get turned off by it 'fore they even give it a chance."

Beth was definitely one of those people. She couldn't believe she had just eaten squirrel and she had _liked_ it. She forced herself not to think about it too much. It had been good and food was food.

With her belly now full, her eyelids grew heavy. She couldn't remember ever feeling this tired before and she yawned. She vaguely remembered Merle kneeling by her feet to take off her boots before her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

****AN: Sorry there's not a lot of Meth interaction in this chapter. We're kind of at a turning point right now so there's a lot going on. I'm going to try to get you all caught up to where we are in the season. The Atlanta group has already been to the farm for a while now and Lori has found out that she's pregnant of course. Otis is gone and Dale is also gone, so that also means that Daryl has already been shot with the arrow too. They have not found Sophia yet. Some things in the season may get changed slightly since the story is already so different with Merle being present in season 2. For instance, I'm not sure if I will have the group leave the farm too quickly right now and some events I may or may not leave out. My main focus will be on Beth and Merle so certain events may get skimmed over as we proceed. I'm not going to try and write this word for word, so there will be some improvising going on. I guess what I'm really trying to say is to please overlook the parts that seem a little OOC and AU. I hope I've answered any questions you may have about where we are with this currently. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your reviews! :)**

**...**

It was two days later before they finally headed back out into the woods to search for her family's farm. Merle had put her through a series of vigorous training and had even made her take down a few walkers on the last day. She was extremely tired from being woken up a little after dawn each day but she felt _good_ about herself. She felt more in charge, like she actually had a chance in hell at making it if she were to be alone again.

Part of her was sad that they were headed to find her family. She had gotten so accustomed to being around Merle that now she really didn't want him to leave. She was hoping that once they found he family, she could convince him to stick around for a bit. She just had to talk to her daddy first. That was going to be the hard part.

They walked most of the day before she finally started seeing familiar sights. Encouraged by that, they pushed onward so that they could hopefully make it before dark. When they emerged from the woods finally with her farm in the distance, Beth held her breath. Deep down she knew her family wouldn't leave without her, but she still didn't know if they would be okay. Anything could have happened while she was gone.

Merle had been unusually quiet all day. Even now she could feel the tension radiating off of him as they walked side by side down the dirt driveway. Beth turned her attention back to the farm and was surprised to see the presence of more vehicles in the yard. Then her eyes traveled over to an RV and several tents and she frowned. _What had happened while she was gone?_

She continued walking though and when she looked back at Merle, she saw that he had paused just inside the gate. He was standing extremely still, his jaw clenched and his features tense. She turned around and walked back over to him. She had learned to not fear his moods and she knew he was mostly all talk. What she didn't know, and would learn later, was that he was only all talk with her. She hadn't ever actually seen Merle riled up.

Now she could see that his jaw was twitching and he still hadn't moved. She touched his arm and his eyes cut down to her briefly. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He didn't answer and they both looked up as they heard shouting. Several people came walking their way and one of those people was her sister Maggie. Upon seeing her, Maggie shouted her name and took off running towards her.

"Oh my God, I thought we lost you Beth!" Maggie cried as she wrapped her arms around her sister tightly.

Beth shook her head against her sister's chest and tried to soothe her, "I'm okay. I'm sorry. I took Nell out and she threw me," She replied.

Maggie pulled back to look at her, tears shining in her eyes, "Nell came back over a week ago without you and we knew something had happened...We tried searching for you, but we couldn't find you," Maggie said.

Beth was looking at all of the other people who had come up behind Maggie and were all staring at Merle as if he had three heads. Merle was staring back at all of them, still unmoving.

"Who are all of these people, Maggie?" Beth whispered.

"They came the day after you went missing. The tall guy over there," She pointed, "His son was shot by Otis accidentally, so Daddy took them in and nursed the boy back to health," Maggie explained.

"Poor Otis," Beth murmured. "How is he?"

Maggie frowned and looked down at her shoes. Beth instantly knew something wasn't right. "He didn't make it. Went to the high school for medical supplies with one of the new people Shane, and didn't make it back," She said softly.

Beth felt the tears dampen her eyes. She had been very fond of Otis. He had been like a part of their family. She knew Patricia must be devastated. "The others? Daddy? They're okay?" Beth asked.

Maggie nodded, "Everyone else is fine," She replied.

They were distracted then by a rough voice breaking through the crowd of people that had gathered. Beth watched as a rough looking man made his way through the group.

"What tha hell is goin' on out here?" The man demanded with a thick Southern drawl.

"Hey there lil' brotha," Merle finally spoke.

...

Merle couldn't believe what he was seeing. The group from Atlanta was here at the girl's farm. The whole time he had been with her, they had been here. It was almost too good to be true. None of them said anything at first; everyone just stared at him as if he were some kind of alien life form. Then he heard the sound of his brother's gruff voice cutting through the crowd and he braced himself. It had been a while.

"What tha hell is goin' on out here?" His brother asked as he pushed his way through the group. When he finally made it through he looked up and his eyes met his brother's in shock.

"Hey there lil' brotha," Merle said.

Daryl stared at him for several seconds and Merle could see him clenching his fists by his side to try and control his anger. Everyone was deathly quiet and Merle wondered if they were really that interesting. Daryl clenched his jaw and Merle knew they were likely about to tumble. His brother had been worried. It was clearly written all over his face. Merle knew what happened when Daryl worried. He got angry and he knew how his brother dealt with anger. He was just like him. He lashed out at the closest object and in this case, it happened to be Merle.

"Ain't ya happy ta see me?" Merle drawled.

Daryl scowled, "Ya jackass! We went back for ya! Why didn't ya jus' stay there? Ya shoulda known I'd come back for ya!" Daryl yelled. He was pacing back and forth in front of Merle with short strides.

"Ya got somethin' ya need ta work out there brotha', or we gon' dance 'round in circles all damn evenin'?" Merle asked.

Daryl growled and rushed at his brother, barreling into his chest. Merle had braced himself for the attack so it didn't throw him off. Daryl had gotten stronger though and Merle was momentarily surprised. Daryl managed to sucker punch him in the gut and Merle bent over double. He could hear Beth's audible gasp somewhere off to the side and he felt bad that she was watching but he couldn't avoid it. If they were going to be friends, she might as well get used to it. He heard her shout something but he couldn't hear what it was over the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears. He pressed his metal cuff against Daryl's neck and pushed him up against one of the round fence poles. He was careful not to let the blade touch Daryl's skin but it was hard. His brother was cursing and bucking beneath his hold. Daryl may have been stronger than Merle remembered but Merle had had intense training with the Governor and was in lots better shape than Daryl at the moment.

"Them damn biters was comin' through tha door lil' brotha. Ya expected me ta jus' sit an' hope fer tha best while ya took yer time gettin' back ta me?" He asked gruffly.

Daryl's face was red from his exertions, "Fuck you! We went back for ya! Ya had ta know that I would be back! Why didn't ya go back ta tha camp?" He growled.

Merle eased up slightly on his hold and Daryl broke away, panting. "I tried," Merle explained. "I was bleedin' out pretty bad from tha loss o' my hand. I ran inta this group o' people an' they took me in, patched me up." He failed to mention all of the details right now because he didn't want to tell the rest of the group all of his business. He would tell his brother later when they were alone.

Daryl seemed to calm down slightly, "Thought ya was dead," He spit out.

Merle smirked, "Ain't nothin' can kill a Dixon, 'cept a Dixon brotha. Hell, I'm here now, ain't I?"

Daryl nodded slightly, the tension seeming to leave his shoulders. Merle noticed the prick cop was walking over to them and he narrowed his eyes at the man. The man glanced at Daryl and then walked over until he was standing in front of Merle.

"I know Daryl's glad to have you back Merle. On behalf of the group, I'd like to apologize. You never should have been left on that roof and when Daryl went back for you, I went with him, but you were already gone," The man said.

Merle huffed, his arms crossed, "That s'posed ta make everythin' alright 'tween us, sheriff?" He asked.

"Merle," Daryl warned but Merle held out a hand towards his brother.

The sheriff smiled slightly and then looked down at his boots for several seconds before looking back up. "We got a good thing here," He said softly so that the rest of the group wouldn't hear. "My wife Lori is pregnant and we want to stay here as long as possible. They have food here and medical supplies. But the man, Hershel, doesn't want any trouble or we'll have to leave. So if you're here to cause any trouble, then I suggest you leave the same way you came," He said.

Merle smirked at him and then shot a glance at his brother. "I'm here for my brotha," His eyes flicked briefly to Beth's and he saw that she was regarding the scene intently.

The sheriff finally nodded and walked back over to the group, leaving him standing alone with his brother. Merle's eyes fell onto the black man who had dropped the key and he narrowed his eyes at the man as they walked away.

"What in tha hell is that on yer arm?" Daryl's voice snapped him back to attention.

Merle lifted up his blade, turning it for Daryl to see, "Ya like that brotha? Got me a lil' helper," He chuckled as he turned the blade for Daryl to inspect.

"Fuckin' badass," Daryl commented.

Merle smiled proudly. He faltered as he felt a small hand on his arm. He looked down to see Beth standing next to him, the brunette looking at them with frightened eyes. He wanted to growl at her and tell her that he wasn't going to hurt the girl. He wasn't like that. He was tired of people automatically judging him all the time.

"Merle? Is this the brother that you were looking for?" Beth asked.

Merle glanced down at the girl with a subtle fondness. "Yep. This here's Daryl, my lil' brotha," He announced.

Beth smiled at Daryl and held out her hand which Daryl ignored, "Hi. I'm Beth," She said.

"So you tha one we been out there bustin' our ass try'na find?" Daryl griped.

Beth blushed and Merle instinctively took a step in front of her. "Calm down lil' brotha. Ain't her fault she got lost," Merle said.

Daryl glanced between the two of them, his expression unreadable. He scowled and then walked away back towards the farm house.

"Beth," The brunette called.

"I'll be there in a minute Maggie. Can you find Daddy for me?" She called over her shoulder.

Maggie nodded slightly and reluctantly headed back up the driveway, casting several glances over her shoulder. Merle watched as the Chinese kid walked up to her and they talked for several minutes as they continued walking.

"Merle," Beth's voice dragged his gaze back to her.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice not quite as gruff now.

"Are you going to stay a while?" She asked shyly.

Merle smiled down at her, "I'll stay as long as my brotha does, but when he leaves I'll be goin' with him," He replied.

Her expression fell slightly and something inside of him twitched. "Oh. Okay. I'm glad you found your brother."

Merle nodded, "Me too darlin', me too."


	8. Chapter 8

****AN: First off I would like to say thanks to AthleteGirl for pointing out my boo boo in chapter 6! Apparently I was a little unclear in a couple of sentences about Merle's hand, or lack thereof. Merle does have the metal contraption and he is missing his hand. I wrote a couple of sentences that were unclear and suggested he had two hands which he doesn't. I'm sorry if anyone was confused! I try to go back over the chapters to catch things like that but sometimes I miss them. If you follow any of my other stories, then you know I'm also writing two others that have Merle in them and they are AU so he has both hands. I'm trying really hard not to get them confused but it's hard sometimes! LOL, anyways, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I appreciate them so much! And as I said before, this will not follow exactly how the season's went but it will still be somewhat close. Some of the characters may be a little OOC from time to time so I hope it doesn't bother anyone. Enough rambling, I hope you enjoy! :)**

**...**

Merle set up his tent on the outskirts of the farm near his brother and away from the others in the group. It took him a little longer to get it together with one hand but he finally managed it. He stood outside of his completed tent and stared at his surroundings. They had a decent set-up here at the farm but it was too open, too _vulnerable_ to attacks. The group hadn't yet encountered anyone like the Governor and Merle knew they would be in trouble if they did. So far, he hadn't told anyone about the Governor except for Daryl.

He sat down on a stump just outside of his tent and looked over to where his brother was talking to that mouse of a woman whose husband had beat on her. He had heard her kid was lost and he felt kind of bad about that. His brother had told him how he had been going out every day trying to find the kid and he already told his brother that he would go with him tomorrow and help him look. He hadn't seen any signs of the kid while he and Beth had been trudging through the woods.

He sighed. He really didn't care for any of these people, but he would stay for now, for his brother. Images of the girl popped into his mind but he pushed them away. She was safe now. She had no reason to need him anymore and he had no business trying to be anything other than a friend to her. He took off his metal cuff and massaged the stump tiredly. Standing up, he crawled into his tent and lay back on his sleeping bag to stare up at the ceiling. He hoped that sleep would come soon and drag him under.

...

Beth waited until everyone in the house was asleep before slipping outside of the house. She made her way around the maze of tents in the yard, careful to keep out of sight of the man on watch on top of the RV. She crossed over to Merle's tent and stopped, suddenly unsure of herself. _What if he turned her away?_ _Would he laugh at her? _She stood there for several minutes debating on what to do in her mind.

"What'cha thinkin' so hard 'bout out there?" Merle's voice drifted out to her, making her jump.

She let out a breath and stuck her head inside of the tent. He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. He had on a white tank that showed off his muscles that she couldn't help but notice. "I can't sleep," She said.

She heard his sharp intake of breath, "Ya know ya ain't s'posed ta be out here," He commented.

She hung her head, "I know."

He sighed, "What 'bout Johnathan? Won't he be mad he catches ya out 'ere?"

Beth wrinkled her brow, "Who?"

"Yer boyfriend. Ya forget him already girlie?"

Beth frowned, "His name's Jimmy and no I haven't, but he's different now. Everybody's different," She said softly. Ever since she had returned, Jimmy had been short with her and they had argued earlier. She still didn't know what it was they had argued about. Then there was Maggie and her Daddy. They looked at her like she was a different person, a different version of Beth. It made her uneasy and dinner had been silent and uncomfortable.

Merle stared at her for several minutes before scooting over slightly, his eyes meeting hers in the soft glow of the lantern he had on the floor. She ducked inside eagerly and set her shoes in the corner before lying down next to him.

"Merle?" She asked.

"Hm?" He grunted.

"Thanks for teaching me," She blushed. "I mean I actually feel like I can do something useful for once," She said.

It was true. She didn't feel quite so nervous being outside on her own. She felt a little more confident that she could hold her own given the chance. She hadn't told her Daddy everything about what had happened out there; she had just told him the bare minimum. Maggie had sent her curious stares but Beth hadn't said anything more to her sister either. They hadn't had much time for one of their chats and it felt different now being back. Beth wanted to ask her sister about the guy she was seeing, Glenn. It was obvious that there was something going on between them and she was happy for her sister.

"Go ta sleep," Merle growled, "Ya gotta be outta here 'fore everybody stirs in tha mornin'."

She smiled and snuggled down into the covers, her eyes already drifting shut.

...

He wasn't sure what time it was that he woke up but he was sweating profusely. It wasn't light out yet so he determined that it was probably sometime really early in the morning. He looked down to find Beth curled around his body and he almost groaned aloud. His body was starting to take notice and her leg was dangerously close to finding out just how aroused he was.

He tried to shift himself over slightly and she stirred and snuggled closer. He had known this would be a bad idea. He should never have let her sleep in here with him last night. He wasn't even sure why he had done it. Maybe it had been the look on her face when she had told him that everybody was different. He of all people knew how it was to be an outsider, to be different.

She stirred again, her hand drifting dangerously close to his arousal. He shook her shoulder gently, trying to stir her. She moaned slightly and he raised a brow. She shifted closer to him, her lips parted and he smiled. She was dreaming and from the looks of it, it was a _very_ good dream. Unable to resist the temptation, he traced her nipple through her t-shirt with his finger. He smiled as she moaned again, bucking her hips against his leg. He let his hand trail down her belly to her cotton shorts. He edged his hand underneath, his eyes on hers. The moment his hand encountered her soft curls, he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning. He teased the curls, sliding his finger slowly over her slit. She whimpered and shifted her eyes still closed. He dipped his finger into her a fraction of an inch and was surprised to find her drenched. Still not fully inside of her, he trailed his finger up and circled his finger over her nub. She let out a low moan and he withdrew his hand, afraid that she would awaken. He really had no business doing that anyway.

Except as he pulled his hand away, her eyes opened a fraction of an inch and she stared at him. "Please don't stop," She whispered.

He narrowed his eyes, "Ya were awake?"

She nodded, her eyes glazed with her arousal. She bucked her hips again, "Please," She begged.

He clenched his teeth together, "No. Shouldn'ta done it no way. Go on back ta sleep," He muttered. _Why had he done that?_

He laid his arm across his forehead and stared straight ahead. He felt her moving around next to him but he avoided her. He had had no business doing that to the girl in the first place. He knew better and yet he had still gone and done it.

His eyes flashed as she climbed on top of him, _naked_. The little minx had gone and taken off all of her clothes. She sat there, her face slightly flushed and opened herself to him. God, she was beautiful. He would be a fool to think otherwise. He could feel the sweat popping out on his forehead.

"Please Merle," She grabbed his hand and placed it on her body. "Help me finish my dream," She pleaded.

He let out an angry cry of frustration and managed to gently roll her off of him. He stood up, breathing heavily and aroused beyond his control. When he spoke, his voice was gruff and hoarse, "Put yer clothes back on," He panted. "I was wrong ta touch ya like that an' I'll admit it, but I ain't gettin' ya off girlie. Jus' forget it," He turned on his heel and stalked out of the tent, welcoming the cool night air as it washed over his heated body.

He realized he had stalked out without his metal arm piece but he wasn't turning back to go and get it. He had his knife tucked down in his boot and he hadn't bothered to take them off last night. He liked to be ready for anything and sleeping in a tent didn't exactly make for good protection in an emergency.

He took off around the property, trying to collect his thoughts. He had wanted her. He had wanted her _bad_. He was shaking in fact from wanting her. He forced himself to keep heading away from the tent because if he didn't he was liable to turn around and show her _exactly_ how to finish that dream. _What a fool he was. _He had met her daddy earlier, Hershel, and he could tell the man wouldn't hesitate to shoot his ass over his baby girl.

Except the girl he had seen in that tent just now was definitely _not_ a baby. She had womanly curves and perfect tits...He groaned. He had to pull his thoughts away to something else before he exploded in his pants or someone caught him walking around with a fucking teenaged woody.

The cool air slowly began to help and before he realized how far he had gone, he came upon a fairly decent-sized pond. At first, he thought he was the only one out there until he spotted them. His brother and the mouse, _Carol_, were sitting on the side of the pond talking. Their heads were bent close together and he couldn't make out what they were saying. He slipped backwards before he could be seen and turned around to go the other way.

It was so unusual for him to see his brother around a woman that he wasn't sure what to make of it. His brother had always been a loner, never letting anyone close to him except for her. She seemed to be getting pretty cozy with him. His brother hadn't mentioned that when they had talked earlier. He had told him about her crazy husband and Merle felt the bastard got no less than what he deserved. The world had enough ignorant assholes in it to feel the loss of one more.

He sighed as he made his way full circle back to his tent. He peeked his head inside and was slightly relieved yet disappointed to find her gone. It was just as well though. At least if she was mad at him, it would make it easier for him to keep his hands off of her where they belonged.

...

**Please review... :)**


	9. Chapter 9

****AN: I hope everyone is having a good week! I'm actually pretty pleased with this chapter, but that worries me because sometimes that means that everyone else won't like it, LOL. I hope not though! I hope you all are enjoying it even though it's not following the show exactly. I'm eager to hear your thoughts! I know there are more of you out there, where are you? LOL!**

**...**

After breakfast the next morning, Beth headed outside to read for a bit. She had seen Daryl, Merle, Shane and Rick take off to go and look for Sophia a few hours ago. She didn't care to see Merle at all this morning. She was ashamed of the way she had acted. She wasn't sure what had come over her but when his fingers had touched her...her whole body had heated like an oven. In fact, her body was still aching and it was making her cranky. She didn't understand men and especially not Merle. He touched her like he wanted her one minute and the next he was running away from her. She had it figured out though. It must have been because he saw her naked. She knew her boobs weren't as big as some of the other girls and she was kind of thin. Maybe he just preferred something different. Maybe she hadn't turned him on enough.

She flipped through the book she was holding, pretending to be reading when in actuality she had no idea what was even going on in the story. Her eyes constantly scanned the area around the farm. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for but she couldn't concentrate on the book at all. She watched Maggie and that guy Glenn lean close to each other to talk while on top of the RV. She could see that her sister had it bad for him and from what she could tell, he seemed like a really nice guy. He seemed to be the unofficial errand boy for the group. A few feet away from the RV, Lori and Carol were laughing amongst themselves as they hung out some laundry to dry. She had had to ask Maggie what everyone's name was again this morning because she had only met some of them briefly. T-Dog and Andrea were out close to the barn, appearing to be taking some kind of weapon inventory.

There was one person missing, the boy who had gotten shot by Otis and she scanned the grounds for him, coming up empty.

"What are ya lookin' at?"

Startled to be caught being nosey, she turned in the swing and looked to see who had spoken to her. It was the boy she had just been looking for and she smiled at him.

"I'm just watching everyone," She replied.

She tucked her legs underneath her to make room on the swing for him in case he wanted to sit and he did. He was wearing the sheriff's hat she had seen him wearing yesterday and it swallowed his whole head, making him appear smaller. He was young, she guessed around thirteen and he was wearing a gun on the side of his pants.

She eyed it warily, "Are you supposed to have a gun?"

He snorted, "Why? Ya think I don't know how to shoot?"

"Of course not. It's just that you're so young," She replied.

He frowned and stood up, "I'm not young! All of us should be carrying a gun and know how to shoot! People could die," He said and then turned and walked away, leaving her momentarily stunned.

He was very intense for a boy his age. She wondered what he would be like in a few years if he was already turning into a hardened boy at the age of thirteen. She sighed and picked her book back up.

Her thoughts were once again distracted though as the group members returned from their search for Sophia. She peeked around the side of her book and saw Carol hang her head and walk back towards her tent, Lori putting her arm across her shoulders. She knew that meant no Sophia and she felt bad for the woman. She had lost her own mother to this disease, she couldn't imagine having a kid out there somewhere, lost and defenseless.

...

Merle was sweaty, tired, and aggravated. They had been out searching all morning and hadn't found a thing to indicate that the girl was even alive. For all they knew, the girl was already dead somewhere and they were wasting their time. But the moment he saw that woman Carol's face, he knew why the group just couldn't give up. He imagined that the not knowing was a lot worse than knowing. The woman clearly wouldn't rest until she had some type of closure and he couldn't say that he blamed her.

He lifted the hem of his shirt and wiped at his face and forehead and spotted the girl on the porch with a book in her hand. She was doing anything _but_ reading that book and Merle smirked to himself. She hadn't even seen him look her direction as she was watching Carol walk away. He also saw that she wasn't the only one watching Carol. His brother was also watching her, something close to pain reflected in his eyes. Once Daryl turned to him though, it was gone. His brother had put his wall back up again. But it had been there, Merle had seen it. It had been enough to tell him what he needed to know. His brother was in love with that woman.

He could feel Beth's eyes on him as he walked over to the tub of water that they kept outside for cleaning and washing off. He grabbed one of the towels hanging there and dipped it in the water. It was relatively warm, having been sitting in the sun for so long but he didn't care. It felt good when he scrubbed his face with the towel. He still didn't feel clean though so he set down the towel and pulled off his shirt, not giving a damn who saw his naked chest and scarred back. He wasn't like his brother. He would walk around buck ass naked without a tinge of embarrassment if needed. He just simply didn't care.

It was that attitude that had served him well during his short time with the Governor. It was easier to kill when you didn't care. Easier not to get too invested in anyone. As the thought of the Governor crossed his mind, he wondered what the bastard was up to. Merle didn't think for one second that the man wouldn't look for his body. Merle knew too much about the man and he thought that deep down the Governor was scared to death that he would kill him.

Merle smirked to himself as he washed his chest with his hand. He almost _had_ killed him too, had someone not walked in on them. The Governor had been drinking and Merle had come to his apartment to try to talk to him about going out to search for his brother again. The Governor had insulted him and tried to make him feel worthless, things he was good at. But inside Merle had been seething and when the Governor had turned to pour himself another drink, Merle had almost slit his throat. If it hadn't been for that prick scientist friend of his knocking on the door, it would have all been over. If you kill the brain of an animal, the body will die along with it. That's how it would happen with the Governor. His time would come. Merle would make sure of it. The world was ten shades of fucked up enough already without the added threat of a psychopath.

He finished washing himself off and grabbed up his shirt, heading back to his tent. He stopped short upon entering, his hand on the flap when he heard voices coming from behind the barn. Looking around suspiciously, he dropped his shirt inside and made sure his gun was still tucked into his pants. He headed over to the edge of the barn, pausing as he heard slightly raised voices. He clenched his jaw as recognition poured over him. He would know the little blonde's voice anywhere.

...

"Come on Beth, let's go down to the pond. You know it's our special spot," Jimmy had his arms resting against the barn wall on either side of her.

Beth had been coming back from visiting Nell at the Stables when Jimmy had intercepted her and pulled her behind the barn "to talk". So far he hadn't done much talking except for trying to coax her into going down to the pond which used to be her favorite spot to sit with him. He only wanted her down there now to try to feel her up. She wasn't stupid.

She also wasn't interested. After experiencing Merle Dixon's hands on her for real instead of in a dream, she knew that no other man would ever compare. Merle was raw and powerful and he made her skin tingle in a way that Jimmy never had. Even though Merle had turned her away, she still held out hope that he might change his mind. Regardless, the days of her and Jimmy were over.

"I already told you once that I'm not interested. I've got to go help Maggie cook," She lied.

He slid his arms down further as she tried to duck underneath them. He frowned at her, "Wanna know what I think? I think you're a big tease!" Jimmy sneered.

Beth curled her lips at him, "How dare you? Because I won't s_leep_ with you?" She was furious now and she pushed him, _hard_.

He stumbled backwards, completely caught off guard. It wasn't that he was scaring her but she wasn't interested. She really didn't want to piss him off too much though and have it stress her Daddy out even more than having the group here was already stressing him.

He huffed, "You're a bitch Beth. You're gonna pay for that..." He stalked towards her, his hand raised.

"Uh, uh, uh boy," Merle drawled as he came around the side of the barn, a wicked smile on his face. "Ya lay one hand on that pretty lil' head o' hers an' I'll show ya how it feels ta be minus that hand."

Beth watched as Merle's expression darkened and Jimmy inadvertently took a step back. He looked from Merle to Beth, clearly weighing his options. Merle stopped just in front of her, twitching his blade slightly so that it caught the late afternoon sun. Jimmy's eyes flitted down to the blade and he swallowed audibly.

Jimmy looked at her, "Fine. Have it your way. We're done," He muttered and stalked off.

Beth watched him go, surprisingly not feeling any emotion at all. The emotion she was feeling was directed at the man who stood just in front of her, his shoulders tense, and his chest..._bare_. She let her eyes slide down his bare chest, drinking him in in the afternoon sun. He had a fine layer of sweat covering his muscles and he looked every bit of a sexy man. He certainly kept himself in great physical shape.

"Enjoyin' yerself?" He asked.

She blushed as she realized that he had been watching her openly study him. Then she remembered that he had left her in his tent and her mood soured slightly. She turned to go when he reached out and caught her arm with his hand.

"Let go Merle," She said.

He raised a brow, "It's like that now, is it? Thought we was friends darlin'. Jus' saved ya a big headache with Junior there," He said.

She sighed, "For the last time, his name's _Jimmy_! And you _saved_ me from kickin' his ass!" She yelled.

She was so angry. Angry at everyone for thinking she was a weakling, her Daddy for not teaching her to defend herself, and angry at Merle for turning her down when she had put herself out there. To her astonishment, he laughed.

"_What_ is so funny?" She demanded.

He let go of her arm to wrap his hand around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She gasped as she came into full contact with his body, his expression growing serious.

He leaned down until his breath tickled her ear, "Seein' ya get so worked up has got _me_ worked up darlin'," He whispered.

She shivered at his words. He leaned down, his lips hovering near hers and she held her breath. She wanted to run, to make him feel what she had felt, but her feet wouldn't cooperate. He brushed his lips against hers gently nudging them and she leaned into him. He pressed his lips to hers and she closed her eyes. She felt his tongue flicker out and tease the length of her lips before she opened to him, granting his tongue entry. He took advantage of it, stroking her mouth and tangling his tongue with hers softly. He nibbled on her lip and she moaned, wanting more. He pulled back and looked down at her, his eyes dark. She struggled to catch her breath, the kiss having affected her a_ll_ over.

He leaned in again but she slipped around him, catching him off guard. "Oh no," She said. "You're not getting off that easy. You left me in that tent. You just _left._ You're an attractive man Merle, but I'm not going to make myself available to you when it's _convenient_," She stared at him for several minutes. He didn't move but she saw his jaw clench. She whirled on her heels and walked away, leaving _him_ this time. It felt good even though she had to force herself to walk away.

...

**Review? Please and thanks :)**


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